Friday,
September 20, 2013
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Alex Kokos scored the game-winner in the 63rd minute as Wayne Valley tuned up for its rivalry game against Wayne Hills with a 2-1 win at Fair Lawn on Thursday afternoon. |
FAIR LAWN – With a showdown against crosstown rival Wayne Hills looming, the last thing a young Wayne Valley boys soccer team wanted was a poor performance in the game leading up to it. Thursday’s opponent, Fair Lawn, was looking to christen its brand new turf field with a win, but the Indians had no plans of letting the home team break in its new digs in style. After trailing by a goal at the half, Wayne Valley could have gone crazy with adjustments, but instead it just stuck with the game plan and it paid dividends.
Andrew Vecere tied the game early in the second half and Alex Kokos netted the game winner in the 63rd minute as Wayne Valley spoiled Fair Lawn’s party and scored a come-from-behind 2-1 victory at Fair Lawn High School.
“Winning this game the way we won it is big for us,” said Wayne Valley head coach Kyle Hughes. “I thought we played pretty well in the first half and controlled the possession game. We weren’t getting off enough shots on net. We had to keep the tempo up and try to wear them down, which we did much better in the second half.”
Both teams moved the ball up and down the field throughout the first half. Neither could establish an offensive identity, though, until the final 10 minutes when Fair Lawn netminder Cody Gross (three saves) made a diving one-handed stop on a bending shot by Peter Leva. Wayne Valley goaltender Ben French countered with a point-blank save as the teams appeared destined to head to halftime scoreless.
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Senior striker Ribhe Huzein scored just before halftime to give Fair Lawn the lead. |
Ribhe Huzein, one of North Jersey’s most underrated strikers, single-handedly changed that after winning a long ball in the air sent Brendon Hall, and beat a defender on his way to goal. The senior then rifled a shot into the lower right-hand corner from 12 yards out with 58 seconds let in the half to give the Cutters a 1-0 lead at the break.
The Indians quickly reversed any momentum Fair Lawn had heading into the second stanza by taking control of the midfield and netting the equalizer less than seven minutes in. As the Cutters’ defense was slow in getting set on a set piece, Blerim Colaku alertly delivered a quick pass for Andrew Vecere in the middle of the field. Vecere touched around one defender and cracked a shot just inside the right post to the game, 1-1.
“We had all the momentum at halftime, but we couldn’t sustain it,” said Fair Lawn head coach Carlyle Myrie. “Even after they tied the game, we weren’t playing the game with that sense of urgency that you need to have in order to win games. I think we got a bit complacent and got out of sync in all aspects. Wayne Valley was consistent in the way they played whether they were down or up. That’s what we’re striving for is that consistency. The talent is there, the consistency is slow to catch on for us.”
The Indians moved in front on a well-executed give-and-go between Kokos and Vecere. Kokos was on the back end and bent one in from 18 yards out for his third goal of the year with 17:47 to play to give Wayne Valley a 2-1 lead.
“We were playing with a lot more confidence in the second half and we never felt like we were out of it,” said Kokos. “In the first half, it was frustrating because we weren’t getting many shots. We didn’t let it get to us and we just kept playing hard. On my goal (Vecere) made a good pass, I just had to beat my man and let it rip.”
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Andrew Vecere scored Wayne Valley's first goal and assisted on the game-winner. |
The last chance for Fair Lawn (1-3) came in the waning seconds. Sophomore Jason McDonald boomed a long direct kick into the box and the Cutters were able to win the ball in the air. But Hall’s header went just wide and the Indians escaped with a much-needed road win.
Sweeper Ryan Brown had a fantastic game in the back and French finished with five saves for Wayne Valley (2-1). The Indians will now look to keep their momentum going into their match against Wayne Hills. The winner of that will remain in a tie for first place in the Big North-Independence Division with Lakeland.
“Any time we play Wayne Hills in anything it’s a big game,” said Wayne Valley’s Ryan Brown. “We faced adversity today, but we kept playing hard and we fought through it. Beating Fair Lawn definitely gives us a boost of confidence going into Wayne Hills, but we can’t get too cocky because you can get knocked back down quick. It’s going to be a physical game, but we have to stay focused and play our game.”
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